Amanda

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A feminine first name of Latin origin, meaning worthy of being loved
2. A woman's given name derived from Latin that signifies someone deserving of love
3. A female personal name of Latin roots, borne by many people across English-speaking countries

Etymology: Amanda is a given name, not a common noun, and its history runs through a Latin word meaning "who is to be loved." The Latin "amandus" is the future passive participle of "amare" ("to love"), so it describes someone or something that deserves or must be loved. Its best-known bearer in the early Christian world was Saint Amandus, and the feminine form "Amanda" derives from that saint's name. The name's sudden popularity as a girl's name came much later. It was taken into regular use as an English given name from 18th-century literature, when writers found the sound and meaning appealing for their heroines. Its sense of loveliness suited the sentimental fiction of the period, and the name stayed in use from there. The name is a doublet of "Aimee," a French form from the same Latin root, so the two names are close relatives that reached English by different routes.